Mount Washington

Mount Washington

Mount Washington is a beautiful neighborhood in the shadow of the San Gabriel Mountains located in northeastern Los Angeles county halfway between Pasadena and Downtown L.A. Different parts of the neighborhood provide views of downtown L.A., the San Gabriel mountains, tranquil canyons, hillsides, and valleys. While lacking any major arterial streets, the area is served by several freeways including the Pasadena Freeway, Glendale Freeway, and Golden State Freeway. The Metro Gold Line serves southeastern parts of the neighborhood with a station near the Southwest Museum.

Mount Washington was founded in 1909 as a subdivision laid out by real estate developer Robert Marsh and it was Marsh who built the Mount Washington Hotel at the summit of Mount Washington. After the population explosion in L.A. in the 1930's and with completion of the Arroyo Seco Parkway in 1940, many people who lived in other areas of Los Angeles began building and owning hunting lodges and cabins in Mount Washington. In the 1950s and 1960sModernist homes, similar to those found in the Hollywood Hills or Brentwood, were built in Mount Washington. During the 1970's and 1980's the neighborhood attracted a bohemian element, and today the population is mainly professional class mixed with artists, musicians and writers. The district is generally considered the most affluent area of the East Side, and in recent years many homebuyers have become attracted to the area as a relatively affordable alternative to the Westside.

Mount Washington is home to the Southwest Museum of the American Indian which houses one of the most extensive and important collections of Native American art and artifacts in the world. Also of interest is Eldred Street, which, with a slope of 33% grade, is the steepest street in Los Angeles and one of the steepest streets in the world. Mount Washington Elementary School, a hilltop campus with beautiful views where students consistently score among the top schools in Los Angeles on the Academic Performance Index is of particular pride to the residents of "The Hill", as locals call Mount Washington.